Mexico’s presidential election

Little pain for Peña

A much-watched debate fails to shake the front-runner

THE first of Mexico's presidential debates, aired last month, was snubbed by one television network in favour of a football match. The second and final one, broadcast on June 10th, attracted more viewers than any previous debate in Mexican history, as 15m tuned in at home and thousands crowded around giant screens in public squares. The election may be a done deal, according to most pollsters, but a somnolent campaign has at last come to life.

Browse our slideshow guideto the leading candidates for the Mexican presidency

None of the candidates landed a knockout punch in the more than two hours the debate lasted. Enrique Peña Nieto, who leads most polls by around ten points, tried to remain above the fray. Rather than attacking his rivals, he took the opportunity to outline his policy pitch of “effective government”. Andrés Manuel López Obrador, a populist leftist, improved on a slightly rambling performance in the previous debate, but did not seem to do much damage to Mr Peña.

Most pundits gave a narrow victory in the debate to Josefina Vázquez Mota, the candidate of the ruling National Action Party (PAN), who was forced to go on the offensive after polls recently showed she had slipped into third place. She mocked Mr Peña for “ending up shut in the bathroom” when he beat a hasty retreat from a student demonstration at a Mexico City university on May 11th.

The fiercest battle now seems to be for second. Ms Vázquez and Mr López Obrador each paint themselves as the best hope of blocking Mr Peña, whose Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) ruled Mexico for seven decades until 2000 and is still mistrusted by many. Mexico has no run-off vote, so people wishing to vote tactically against the PRI must do so first time, on July 1st.

Mr López Obrador, who portrays himself as the anti-establishment candidate, says that the PAN's 12 years in government have been a disappointment. Ms Vázquez retorts that Mr López Obrador is himself a former member of the PRI, and that as Mexico's first woman president she would represent a bigger change. Mr Peña's lead may be narrowing, but time is running out faster.